Understanding the Properties of Numbers

Remembering the properties of numbers is important because you use them consistently in pre-calculus. The properties aren’t often used by name in pre-calculus, but you’re supposed to know when you need to utilize them. The following list presents the properties of numbers:

If you’re trying to perform an operation that isn’t on the previous list, then the operation probably isn’t correct. After all, algebra has been around since 1600 BC, and if a property exists, someone has probably already discovered it. For example, it may look inviting to say that

but that’s incorrect. The correct answer is

Knowing what you can’t do is just as important as knowing what you can do.